In Our Kitchen: Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving for me, is all about the food. There’s the old standards- turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes; but I like to mix things up. I interrogated my friends, clients, and fellow teachers for their picks in this holiday season. I’ve compiled a list for you to play with below:

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

by FORM Instructor, Amy Nelms (a vegan with a vengeance)

13/4 cups all-purpose flour

11/4 cups sufst

1tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 soy milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons molasses

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tin. Sift together flour,sugar,baking powder,salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk,oil, and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

Fill the muffin cups two- thirds full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean

3 small leeks, trimmed and rinsed, or 2 large onions, cut into quarters

olive oil

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Remove the giblets, then rinse the turkey. Dry with paper towels. Rub the cavity with the salt. Cut 2 of the oranges into 2-inch chunks. Set aside a few sage sprigs for garnish later. Place the remaining sage, cut-up oranges, and garlic in the cavity. Loosen the skin from the breast and spread the cheese under the skin. Tuck the wings under the back; tie the legs together. Arrange the carrots and leeks in the roasting pan to create a “rack” and place the turkey on it; rub with oil. (The turkey can be prepared to this point up to 1 day ahead. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

Heat oven to 350º F. Roast for 1 hour. Place a foil tent over the turkey and continue roasting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours more or until an instant-read thermometer registers 180º F when inserted in the breast.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Carefully move the turkey to a platter, pouring any cavity juice back into the pan. Cover with foil to keep warm. Set oven to 500º F. Cut the remaining 6 oranges into quarters and arrange in a shallow baking pan. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until brown.

Meanwhile, discard the vegetables from the roasting pan. Pour the pan drippings into a 4-cup measure. When the fat separates and rises to the surface, spoon 1/3 cup of it into a medium saucepan; discard any remaining fat. Squeeze the juice from 12 of the orange wedges into the defatted broth; if necessary, add water or chicken broth to make 4 cups. Whisk the flour into the fat in the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens and boils, 5 to 7 minutes.

Arrange the remaining baked oranges with the sage on the platter around the turkey. Serve with the gravy.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Put sweet potatoes in a large bowl and pour over coconut oil & molasses. Toss with remaining ingredients. Spread the potatoes on a large baking sheet or in a large roasting pan. Roast for about an hour, tossing about every 20 min.*You can also try this recipe with butternut squash. Mash either for a “mashed potato feel”. It is super yummy & decadent!

Balsamic-Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Crushed Pine Nuts and Parmesan

spotted by yours truly, Lindsay Lopez on Pinterest

1 pound of Brussels sprouts

1/8 cup pine nuts, finely diced

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Trim and peel away the outer leaves of each Brussel sprout and half them

Slide the Brussels sprout halves onto the skewers, about six to eight halves per skewer

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place skewers halved-side up

Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over each skewer, trying to “fill up” the Brussels sprouts

Bake the skewers at 400 degrees for about 30min until they are cooked and crispy

Plate the skewers on a serving tray and cover them with parmesan and the pine nuts

Thanksgiving Eggs Benedict

by FORM Instructor Alissa Alter Fuhrman

In a pan with melted butter, fry a large spoonful of leftover mashed potatoes into a potato pancake. Then in the same pan make a fried egg. Serve the egg over the pancake and cover with leftover gravy.

Let us know which of our recipes you tried and loved, or post a recipe of your own below!